#the beatles ashram

[sheltiechicago]

Lecture Hall, Beatles Ashram, Rishikesh, India

The Beatles Ashram

The ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, otherwise known as the Beatles Ashram, lies abandoned and in ruins on the outskirts of the Hindu pilgrimage town of Rishikesh. Not far away, the Ganges River pours out of the Himalaya onto the plains of northern India.

The Beatles studied Transcendental Meditation here.

George Harrison's Residence, Beatles Ashram, Rishikesh, India

Meditation Hut, Beatles Ashram, Rishikesh, India

Musical Om (Dormitory Room), Beatles Ashram, Rishikesh, India

Assembly Hall, Beatles Ashram, Rishikesh, India

Dormitory Room, Beatles Ashram, Rishikesh, India

#the beatles ashram #ashram #culture #history #maharishi mahesh yogi #musician #musci #rishikesh #ganges river #india #himilaya #transcendental meditation #musical om #the beatles

[singeratlarge]

SUNDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO: “All I Ever Need Is Love”—Rishikesh is a small city in India, set in the Himalayan foothills and known for temples, schools, and scenic views of the Ganges River*. On the edge of town sits the former ashram where, in 1968, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi famously met with The Beatles, Donovan, Mike Love, and other notables to learn about meditation. Fast forward to 2016 for our month-long India tour. We had a few days in Rishikesh—a lovely city—walking around, getting my ears cleaned (a story unto itself), singing songs, and becoming the first Western musicians to perform live in one of the prestigious temples (an auspicious occasion). Later we found the Yogi’s former ashram (now a tiger reserve). Back in the USA a few years later, this song came to me—a George Harrison-inspired playback of our adventure in Rishikesh, with allusions to “white album” songs, the landscape, the tour bus, and the Fab 4. This was recorded by Uma Robin Mackey in our backyard in San Francisco. The silk shirt I’m wearing was custom made in Varanasi (a gift from Uma)…

*Which reminded me of creeks and rivers where I grew up in Pennsylvania.

#Rishikesh #India #Beatles #GeorgeHarrison #Liverpool #meditation #ashram #yoga #Donovan #temple #Ganges #Mike Love #tiger #whitealbum #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge #Varanasi #silkshirt

#johnny j blair #singer songwriter #music #singer at large #san francisco #pop rock #Rishikesh #India #Beatles #George Harrison #Liverpool #meditation #ashram #yoga #Donovan #Ganges #Mike Love #white album #Varanasi #Youtube

[whatevergreen]

At the abandoned 'Beatles Ashram' aka Swarg Ashram, Rishikesh, India - Deepu Pandat, August 2021

#swarg #ashram #beatles #rishikesh #india #1960s #now #architecture

[cifarshayar]

#quotes #love quotes #artxpan #the beatles #beatles ashram #rishikesh #chaurassi kutiya #inspirational

[vikram-gulalia]

#river #ganga #ganges #clouds #the beatles #beatles ashram #maha rishi mshesh yogi #love #yoga

[harrisonarchive]

George Harrison and Jenny Boyd at Friar Park, January 1991. Photo by Pattie Boyd. (In connection with this photo of George and Pattie that same day.)

“My former brother-in-law George Harrison spoke my favorite ‘Life Lesson Quote.’ I was in a car with my sister Pattie and George. We were on our way back from Bangor in Wales where we’d been staying at the Maharishi conference with the rest of The Beatles. It was when we’d heard that The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, had died that we cut our visit short, and each of the Beatles headed for home. We all felt very sad. The car stopped in London to let me out. Just as I was about to close the car door, George jumped out and said to me, ‘Would you like to come to Maharishi’s ashram in India with us all in January?’ I couldn’t believe it, a dream come true! ‘How can I ever repay you?’ I asked. ‘Just be yourself.’ George said. This has been my ‘Life Lesson Quote,’ and it is the story of my book: the journey to finding myself.” - Jenny Boyd (in response to the question, “Can you please give us your favorite ‘Life Lesson Quote’? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?”), Authority Magazine, March 9, 2020 (x) The new edition of Jenny’s first book (Musicians In Tune), re-titled It’s Not Only Rock ‘n’ Roll: Iconic musicians reveal the source of their creativity, included a dedication: “Dedicated with love and gratitude to the memory of George Harrison.”

#George Harrison #Jenny Boyd #Pattie Boyd #quote #quotes about George #1991 #1990s #Friar Park #George and Jenny Boyd #George and Pattie #fits queue like a glove

[holdoncallfailed]

"The Maharishi had invited us all to go to India to his ashram in the Indian Himalaya. We were there studying meditation for two and a half months. While the other three Beatles went back to London to start the beginning of their Apple empire, George and I went to Madras for a week’s relaxation. I took this photograph of George one morning, as I thought the light on his face was lovely. I think this was the last time that I saw him looking so calm." — Pattie Boyd (via)

#this feels almost too intimate to look at directly i'm only looking at it out of the corner of my eye #george harrison

[whatpandorasaw]

The Beatles Ashram in Rishikesh, India

[hareramainstitute]

Discover the historic #Beatles #Ashram in Rishikesh during our retreat, where music, mindfulness, and nature converge in a tranquil setting along the Ganges River. #yogaretreat #rishikesh https://hareramainstitute.com

#yoga #rishikesh #hareramainstitute #yogaschool #yogagirl #ganga #beatlesashram

[tgirldarkholme]

Now that we're on the subject of 60s music: is the Captain Marvel mentioned in "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" the DC one or the Marvel one?

Ahahah. Well, it's true that Paul is a massive Marvel comics fan and has made songs about it.

Unfortunately Bungalow Bill was written and sung by John Lennon.¹

Like most songs on the White Album it was written during the Beatles' trip to the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India. Lennon arrived in India on February 15, 1968, seven days after the release of Captain Marvel #1 (by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan). Even if we assume he tweaked the lyrics between coming back from it (on April 12, 1968) and recording the song (on October 8, 1968), leaving him the time to hypothetically read Captain Marvel #4-8 (from May 9, 1968 to September 17, 1968)... one fail to see the link between a story about an alien spy infiltrating NASA and John's diss track about a tiger hunter.

"So Captain Marvel zapped him right between the eyes" is about said tiger hunter (Bungalow Bill) shooting a tiger who attacked him and his pack of elephants. The moral of the song is that he's a mental child masquerading as an adult man (He went out tiger hunting with his elephant and gun / In case of accidents / He always took his mum / He's the all American, bullet-headed / Saxon mother's son / All the children sing). It's referring to Billy Batson.

This, however, I have no idea. It does sound space-y at times.

¹: with Yoko Ono as co-lead vocals, the only Beatles song to have a non-member in this role

#dc #marvel #captain marvel #billy batson #mar-vell #the beatles #white album #bungalow bill #the continuing story of bungalow bill #john lennon #yoko ono #magneto #eric magnus #titanium man #crimson dynamo #paul mccartney #wings #paul mccartney and wings #jack kirby #chick corea

[mydaroga]

Chicago Fest for Beatles Fans 2023

I've always loved connecting with people who share my passions. For me, cons aren't about meeting celebrities or room parties, though those are both fine. For me, it's about meeting people whose eyes don't glaze over after thirty seconds of your special interest. So when I began my deep dive into Beatlemania, I wanted to find people who really wanted to chat. (Some of you have witnessed these efforts here, to varying degrees of success.) So I googled "Beatles conventions" and, on a whim, bought a ticket to the Fest for Beatles Fans in Chicago, partly because I had someone to stay with (over an hour away, but still) and didn't need to shell out for a room.

If my goal was to engineer a feeling like, say, my best one on one convos here, or the Meta the Beatles discord, or old school livejournal, or the K/S cons, it was only marginally successful. Still, I think it was a positive experience and I am considering attempting to afford the next one in February at the utterly stunning remodeled TWA hotel.

The Fest, which used to be called BeatleFest until Apple Corps intervened in 1997, has been ongoing since 1974 when founder Mark Lapidos asked John Lennon if he was cool with the idea of a Beatles convention. You can see various guests over the years here, so clearly it's a known quantity in Beatledom. Many people there this weekend have been attending since the beginning, and it's an annual (or bi-annual) tradition.

It differs from other fan cons I've been to in that the focus is largely on music itself. This is natural, but what I mean is, there is constantly at least one musical act playing Beatles music in some form. On the main stage and breakout rooms you also have guests: Pattie Boyd, Gregg Bissonette (Ringo's current drummer), Billy J Kramer, Terry Sylvester (the Hollies), Joey Molland (Badfinger), Jay Bergen (John's lawyer), Allan Kozinn (The McCartney Legacy), Bruce Spizer (various books about the recordings), Kenneth Womack (upcoming Mal Evans book!), Susan Ryan (long time Fest fixture and historian), Skylar Moody (Beatles TikTok), Jude Kessler (The John Lennon series), Sara Schmidt (Meet the Beatles for Real), Steve Matteo (Act Naturally: the Beatles on Film). There are dealers with vintage and current merch and memorabilia, a "museum" room with historic merch, old clippings, an "ashram" where you can attend various meditation and yoga sessions, a karaoke room, costume and talent contests, even a Beatles Rock Band setup I failed to attend despite my yearning to one day play it.

Some of the panels were pretty sparsely attended, and there was a strong feeling that a lot of people go to listen to the bands and stay up all night. But what that meant for those of us who were there to talk and make connections was, I got to talk and make a ton of connections. I met Sara Schmidt and her mother and they took me under their wing and introduced me to anyone who was anyone. I had a lovely chat with Ken Womack. Wally Podrazik insisted on taking a photo of my Nerk Twins shirt and demanded I email him. I spoke to Allan Kozinn about how a John boy comes to write the most comprehensive Paul biography ever. I met a lady named Tina who is going to hook me up with info about early slash and RPF fic (because I've heard several of you youngin's declare it's a relatively new phenomenon and I know it isn't!). I danced to a great cover band while looking like Twiggy. I had a lot of comments about my Stamp Out the Beatles shirt. I spoke to Steve Matteo about his book about the Beatles on film, and shared my own film work in which he took an avid interest.

All in all, it never got as in depth as you can with good fandom friends in a quiet setting. I've also heard that attendance and quality have gone down in recent years, and changes have been implemented due to stupid copyright shit (like, no being able to show any of the licensed films or cartoons? Which is a huge bummer.). But I do feel that I made connections and furthermore, felt embraced and included and warmly welcomed. No one questioned the fact I got here via "Get Back," no one challenged me on being new, no one made any attempt to gatekeep or Beatle bro at me. Only ONE person even asked who my favorite Beatle was. They all seemed genuinely delighted to have a new weirdo to share their passion with.

I haven't decided if I'm attending again, but I do already have plans in the works to suggest a few panels more in line with the type of con activity I like to see. Because even if it's not exactly the interactions I've been seeking, there's no substitute for face to face discussion and squee. And now, my photos!

Jay Bergen, Gregg Bissonette, Terry Sylvester, Joey Molland, Billy J Kramer, Pattie Boyd, and moderator Terri Hemmert.

So many shirts! My little outfits, missing my prized Stamp Out the Beatles sweatshirt:

Weirdass vintage Beatles merch:

And finally, what I spent too much money on because everyone I talked to had written a book, GDI. Plus, 1974 era buttons because I like old stuff and they were $10:

#kris talks a lot #the beatles #fest for beatles fans #conventions #beatles fandom

[singeratlarge]

SUNDAY MATINEE MUSIC VIDEO: “All I Ever Need Is Love”—Rishikesh is a small city in India, set in the Himalayan foothills and known for temples, schools, and scenic views of the Ganges River*. On the edge of town sits the former ashram where, in 1968, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi famously met with The Beatles, Donovan, Mike Love, and other notables to learn about meditation. Fast forward to 2016 for our month-long India tour. We had a few days in Rishikesh—a lovely city—walking around, getting my ears cleaned (a story unto itself), singing songs, and becoming the first Western musicians to perform live in one of the prestigious temples (an auspicious occasion). Later we found the Yogi’s former ashram (now a tiger reserve). Back in the USA a few years later, this song came to me—a George Harrison-inspired playback of our adventure in Rishikesh, with allusions to “white album” songs, the landscape, the tour bus, and the Fab 4. This was recorded by Uma Robin Mackey in our backyard in San Francisco. The silk shirt I’m wearing was custom made in Varanasi (a gift from Uma)…

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O80nB7Wmpzc

 *Which reminded me of creeks and rivers where I grew up in Pennsylvania.

 #Rishikesh #India #Beatles #GeorgeHarrison #Liverpool #meditation #ashram #yoga #Donovan #temple #Ganges #Mike Love #tiger #whitealbum #johnnyjblair #singeratlarge #Varanasi #silkshirt

#youtube #rishikesh #India #Beatles #George Harrison #Liverpool #meditation #ashram #yogainspiration #donovan galpin #Ganges #Mike Love #tiger #white album #johnny jojo #singer at large #Varanasi

[ringos-sexynose]

Lennon and McCartney in India ©Paul Saltzman

As I spent time with the Beatles, Paul was the most overtly warm and friendly. He was singing a few bars of Michelle when I took this picture from a few feet away. Jane Asher was with Paul in Rishikesh, and he said that she inspired some of his most beautiful love songs. -Paul Saltzman

John was at the ashram for about 7 weeks, as was George. Ringo for 2 weeks and Paul was there for 5 weeks. In their time there John and Paul wrote 48 songs, likely their single most creative capsule of time in their illustrious careers. -Paul Saltzman

I went in search of John, Paul and George and found them sitting at the familiar spot overlooking the river where we’d first met. We said our good-byes and as I started to go John said, “Hey, Paul, send us some of your photos.” -Paul Saltzman

#John Lennon #Paul McCartney #the Beatles #1960s #60s #Paul Saltzman photography #the bugs go to India #Johnny and Paulie

[pattie-remembers]

Pattie Boyd: ‘George and I nearly drowned in a riptide on our Barbados honeymoon’

February 22 2023, 12.00pm GMT

Barbados, where Pattie Boyd and George Harrison were caught in a riptide on their honeymoon

GETTY IMAGES; ALAMY

Pattie Boyd lives in London with her husband, Rod Weston, and their dog, Freddie. A Sixties model and now an acclaimed photographer, she was formerly married to Harrison and Eric Clapton.

I was three years old when my parents moved to Kenya to live with my grandparents. We had a beautiful, big rambling house. The garden went on into the wilderness, it wasn’t unusual to see giraffes and lions wandering in.

Growing up in Africa shaped me. I remember very clearly riding bareback on my horse through woodland. I got used to the unusual. Going to bed one night I heard a noise. Underneath the door was a snake, slowly slithering into my room. I was frozen, absolutely riveted, he was huge. I was nineyears old and I started screaming.

I was sent to boarding school in England when I was ten and it was quite a shock to the system. The other girls didn’t know what I was talking about. Africa was all I knew.

Boyd with George Harrison, in 1966

ALAMY

George and I nearly drowned on our honeymoon in Barbados. We stayed in the middle of the island and explored the north coast. One glorious day we went swimming and to my horror I realised that there was a riptide. I was swimming towards the beach and not moving. I realised that if we were to swim parallel to the shore, we might get away from the current. I was terrified. I remember Mick Fleetwood said to me once, it is a weird thing when you know you’re drowning, you start swallowing water and everything becomes euphoric. George and I finally made it to the beach and sat there panting. The waiters brought us sandwiches and we ate the whole lot in shock.

India with the Beatles was a magical time. We were in an ashram, surrounded by like-minded people. The maharishi kept insisting it was very important for us all to learn meditation, for us and for the world. He said things were going to escalate and get faster and meditation would give us the tools to slow life down.

The Beatles would sit on the ashram steps with their guitars, jamming together and singing. They wrote so many songs there, everything from The White Album. The whole vibe was gentle and calming and inspirational.

● Kenya tours: 19 adventures ● Best cities to visit in India

Touring with Eric was new to me because I never went on tour with George and the Beatles. America was eye-opening. When Eric went on stage, the audience would stretch back as far as the eye could see. I used to sit on the side, drink in one hand, camera in the other. During the encore the audience would lift their lighters into the air and the whole auditorium would be filled with flickering lights in the dark. I love to capture beauty with my camera. It’s like anything fabulous: it’s not going to be there for ever.

Boyd with Eric Clapton in 1978

ALAMY

Eric didn’t really like travelling otherwise. I think when you’re a musician and you tour, then the idea of travelling for a holiday is not high up on your list.

A place I’ll always love is Venezuela. I went in 1994 when I was single and discovering who I was again. I did a day trip to Angel Falls, eventually reaching the top of a mountain that looked down over an incredibly steep edge. The idea was to go hang-gliding, something that had never crossed my mind before. I said, “Blow that! I’m not jumping off this cliff!” Suddenly an elderly Indian lady ran past us and leapt off the mountain as we watched in horror. Well, we had to do it then, didn’t we? Clutching my camera to my chest, I jumped into nothing. I felt like a condor in the air — I was jumping to freedom.

Angel Falls in Venezuela

ALAMY

Peru is a special place. I went there with a female shaman, and I knew I was going to take ayahuasca [a plant-based psychedelic drug]. Greedy me, I ended up doing it twice. It was amazing. We also knew that we would be shedding a lot, both physically and spiritually. Just before we started I noticed a huge snake curled on one of the eaves. Six hours later we walked out and I saw the snake’s skin lying on the floor. The symbolism was clear. I never did ayahuasca with George and Eric, they weren’t adventurous like that.

Growing up in Kenya helped me not to be frightened in life. I am excited because there are more things to see, more adventures, and I don’t like to repeat things, I don’t see the point. There is always something new around the corner.

Pattie Boyd: My Life in Pictures is published by Reel Art Press at £39.95 (reelartpress.com)

Sign up for our Times Travel newsletter and follow us on Instagram and Twitter

#pattie boyd #the times

[cantsayidont]

"As Batman, I should be able to tell whether Saul is a phoney!"

One of the great joys of old comics, especially from the Bronze Age (1970 through mid-80s) is their assortment of now-dated topical references, some of which are delightfully stupid. Prime example: This story from BATMAN #222 (June 1970), "Dead...Till Proven Alive!" by Frank Robbins, Irv Novick, and Dick Giordano.

After some inconclusive attempts to surreptitiously record the Twists' voices and an extremely contrived fight with hired gunmen outside a Gotham City recording studio:

Oh, where to begin?

A few months before this story was written, there was a bizarre conspiracy theory that Paul McCartney had died in a car accident three years earlier and been replaced by a stand-in. This included the assertion that the cover of the ABBEY ROAD album (with the band members walking across that street) was a funeral procession for the real Paul, and that the band had inserted hidden clues in their music. Then, in April 1970, the Beatles announced they were breaking up.

I'm VERY curious when exactly this story was written. The cover date of the issue is June 1970, but magazine cover dates are "shelve until," not "on sale," so it would probably have been on newsstands by the beginning of May, and it would have been scripted probably at least three months before that. So, Robbins either deduced pretty well where the band was going and came up with an amusing pastiche of it, made some last-minute script revisions, or just got particularly lucky. (Having this issue on newsstands three weeks after the Beatles broke up had to have been a minor marketing coup, especially since cover artist Neal Adams makes the characters look even more like the Beatles than the interior art does, which is a lot.)

About the first page: In late 1969, Dick Grayson finally graduated high school and left for Hudson University (in BATMAN #217, by the same creative team). This meant that Batman was once again mostly on his own in his own titles, with Robin getting his own backup feature. Having Batman and Robin together was therefore a relatively novel event throughout most of the '70s, at least in the comic books.

About the second page: The Beatles' own record label was Apple Records, which Robbins pastiches as "Eden Records" — har-har.

About the third page: When Dick Grayson left for college, Bruce and Alfred decided to close up Wayne Manor and move to a posh new penthouse on the top of the Wayne Foundation building in downtown Gotham, also (temporarily) abandoning the Batcave and various Bat-vehicles. The latter decision was reversed almost immediately, but Bruce spent most of the '70s in the penthouse, eventually constructing a new Batcave under the Wayne Foundation building. He didn't return permanently to Wayne Manor until 1982.

About p. 14: The Twists' fateful Himalayan flight is obviously a riff on the Beatles' trip to the ashram of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in February 1968, where they studied Transcendental Meditation™. (The Power Records Batman adventure "Gorilla City" later asserted that Batman also practiced TM.)

About p. 16: Paul McCartney's first solo album came out very shortly before this issue went on sale, and in 1971, he started a new band, Wings. The Phoenix/Wings connection is obviously a coincidence, but Frank Robbins was really batting one thousand on this story.

#comics #batman #music #the beatles #paul mccartney #frank robbins #irv novick #dick giordano #a batman and his batmusic #robin #dick grayson

[thetalentedmrkashyap]

B-8 : Sixty Years of The Beatles - The Memories of A Fan

As I write this article, I've started watching the Disney+ Series called The Beatles: Get Back. It was about the recording of Let It Be, their final album. It talked about the tension and differences among the Fab Four (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr) and the end of an era of music. 

What you're going to read is not a theoretical research paper about the history of the four Liverpool lads. It's not about their early stint as The Quarrymen, their original lineup with bassist Stuart Sutcliffe & drummer Pete Best, or their early gigs in Hamburg (Germany). It's not even about how manager Brian Epstein discovered the young talent, or for that matter - how Ringo replaced Pete Best as the drummer. It's about how a fan feels about it and its place in the fan's heart - as the band celebrated sixty years of its first album, Please Please Me (1963) - in March this year.

Talking a bit about myself, I first heard about the Beatles in a childhood story of John Lennon (1940-1980) that got published in Scharda Dubey's book The Best Days of Our Lives. I read it in September 2012. More than three years later (December 9, 2015), I came across a news story about the Beatles Ashram reopening at Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. I know the exact date because the previous day was the 35th death anniversary of Lennon. After reading it, I searched for them on YouTube - and that's when I heard the first ever song of The Beatles - We Can Work It Out. I kept to it for days before exploring the other musical gems. I was fourteen - and in ninth grade back then.

Every teenager faces adolescence-related problems (physical & emotional changes, insecurities, mental health, peer pressure, etcetera). For rescue comes a solution that proves to be life-changing. In my case, it was the music of the four lads from the unknown coastal city of Liverpool (not to mention that it became famous because of the band). Many of their contemporaries came along the way.

My personal Beatles souvenir Collection (Which I have maintained since 2016)

Coming back to The Beatles, my favorite Beatle was Lennon. Seeing them in live performances and music videos, I began practicing their songs on my keyboard - and eventually bought a guitar to match them. Like an ordinary obsessed fan, I bought souvenirs - guitar pics, music CDs, T-shirts, books, phone covers, etcetera online. I don't think any Indian fan could get such stuff in here that easily - even during the band's popularity years. They would get in the USA and UK - where such things would sell like hotcakes. I even made a poster at 15 about the band - which I pasted in my room.

Thanks to the band, I had quite a reputation as a music performer in school, college, and my locality. I would perform their covers at parties and musical events. Although, I couldn't play their songs in school. But thanks to them, I could look beneath myself to find the skills I possess. Hence, I decided to pursue entertainment journalism/writing. I often write similar songs - and try looking for a music producer to record them. When people suggest music software for completing the songs, I politely respond, "They won't have the same fun as the Beatles - and I want to keep that element in my songs."

As their first single, Love Me Do (1962), celebrated its diamond jubilee on October 5 last year - and their debut album on March 22, I can only say that the boys with the mop-tops are immortal and irreplaceable. Even today, I listen to the entire album the way I did seven years ago. I'm sure there are similar fans like me in different parts of the world - who admire the boys and express their admiration and obsession through various methods. With this, I put my pen down.

#the beatles #beatles #john lennon #paul mccartney #george harrison #ringo starr #brian epstein #george martin #pete best #stuart sutcliffe #billy preston #love me do #please please me #sixty years #diamond jubilee